At first glance playing to win or playing not to lose, seem like two ways to say the same thing. But there truly is a world of difference between them. Playing to win embraces the hope of 'what if' and almost relies on it for hyperbolic results. The other plays with a clenched fist, desperate and defensive.

Empowering people, whether they are employees or volunteers, has more to do with 'who' they are than 'what' we permit them to do. The term empowerment implies a sense of "I have the power/ability - you don't, and I am looking for some terms under which I am willing to bestow this power onto you."